In the Rain, In My Arms
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: Zack decides to have a last minute date with Aerith before he leaves for a mission-unknowingly seeing her for the last time.  ZackxAerith.  Another ScremWorks Tribute, one more to go.  R & R!


She finally accepted.

He had asked her out, and she had accepted him at last.

Zack had waited to see this day for quite awhile. Aerith was the kind of girl you'd expect would be jumping for a date every now and then, but she had kindly declined all his attempts to take her out for even ice cream.

However, she had (out of either to just to shut him up or actually take him up on his offer) accepted his invitation to go to Loveless Avenue. That place was famous for its clubs and bars, but it was also known for having a nice café and theatre. That was where Zack planned to take his new girlfriend. Excitement built up inside him as he waited at the Sector 8 train station so he could go get her. Pacing like he had ants in his pants, he stayed near where the train was going to be stopping.

Aerith had called him earlier; saying that she'd be waiting for him at the church, yet Zack was beginning to be rather impatient. As if the train was slow on purpose just to piss him off for his first date. He finally decided to sit down on a bench near the gate. He had not been sitting for more than a minute before his hand-held phone went off.

"I wonder who that is?"

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Zack looked at the Caller I.D. and a smile crossed his face as he answered, "Hey Dakk, how's it going?"

Dakk was a friend of his, and a fellow SOLDIER. He was a 2nd Class, while Zack was a 1st, but the two got along very well. They had been on a few missions together, and became fast friends.

The other man's voice was heard, "Hey Zack, doing good, just waiting for her to get here."

Zack raised an eyebrow at the feminine word, "'Her'?"

"Yeah, I have a date," Dakk replied.

"That's awesome! Who are you going out with?"

"That one Turk girl I told you about before. You know, long red hair, cute face, with a body to die for?" Dakk said with a laugh, even though he meant it. Seriously.

Zack laughed, "Cissnei, I think that was her name, right?"

"Yup, she should be meeting me here anytime soon," Dakk replied.

"Where are you gonna take her?"

"I plan to take her to the diner in Sector 8, that's where I had been recommended to go. Where are you going with your girl?"

Zack quickly explained, "Loveless Avenue."

"Ah, nice, maybe we'll meet you there later…that is, if we don't have another emergency like the last time I tried to ask her out," Dakk said, his voice slightly changing in tone. He had the worst luck sometimes, this much Zack knew.

"But hey, I got to go, she'll be coming my way here in a few minutes," Dakk said.

"All right man, you have fun," Zack replied.

"Sure, you too. Treat her right, okay?" Dakk then hung up his phone.

Zack hung his up before the dial tone came on, "I sure will."

The gentle rumbling of the train to the slums was heard in the distance, Zack looked at it coming his way, and began to hope that Aerith was where she usually was…

Flowers were true friends. They see so much, hear so much, yet they never speak of it at all. _A silly phrase, yet how true it is…_

Aerith was kneeling next to her flowerbed in the church in the sector 5 slums. Waiting for Zack to arrive, to take her on a date.

Her first date, with her first boyfriend to be exact.

Oh, how she talked to the flowers of her excitement leading up to the minutes when Zack would come pick her up. She'd tell them her feelings, the feeling of being with a friend that she had met no more than a few months ago, but had never been on a date with him.

Until now, that is.

Zack had constantly asked her out from the day they met, his first proposal coming within ten minutes of learning her name no less. She had told him to 'not be silly,' but he thought she had said no. His surprise when Aerith said she would go out with him was priceless.

Unfortunately, it would be awhile before the date could actually happen. Zack's job as a SOLDIER constantly came in the way of his attention to Aerith.

Aerith, not knowing much about the politics, knew enough to know that Zack would not always be around when he wanted to, but she had always appreciated his company.

The girl stood up, walking towards the large wooden doors at the front of the church. The small rays of sunlight that normally shone through the holes in the rundown church were dimmer, must be because of clouds forming above the plate. Not that Aerith had ever been above the plate to know.

The thought of even going up there…frightens me to no end…

Having lived under the plate her whole life, Aerith was not one to wonder how it would feel to live above ground, in fresh air, with nothing but sky above her head.

She had had a bad dream of such a notion quite a few times since she was a little girl. Being pulled into the sky at lightning quick speed, seeing the world vanish in a flash, screaming for it to stop, and being helpless had made Aerith wake up more than once sweating in fear and out of breath.

To not show this fear, Aerith kept putting on a smile whenever Zack offered to take her to the Sector 8 Shopping District, or anywhere above the plate for that matter. Though she would gladly go anywhere with him without a second thought, she would have to ask him to remain below the plate.

"Even though I know he'll try to convince me to change my mind," she said walking out of the church. She decided to suck it up, and attempt to keep her fears under control and enjoy herself. For not only Zack, but for herself.

Pacing like a mad man Zack was. Waiting near the Sector 8 Train station for the Train to arrive.

"I knew I should have gone to get her," he said aloud. He had asked Aerith if she should wait for him in the church, but she insisted that she come to him. Zack was now regretting agreeing with her. Now he was acting like he had ants in his pants.

First dates do that to you, that's what Dakk had told him. Dakk had tried going out with the girls in the company, and even though he had been unsuccessful for most of his career, he eventually landed with that Turk named Cissnei. Lucky guy.

'But I'm lucky as well, to have met Aerith,' he said, looking up at the sky, seeing the clouds darken and small flashes of light appearing in the clouds. Looks like it's going to rain soon.

The sight of the sky reminded Zack of the day he had met Aerith. The most unusual way to meet a girl, by falling from above the plate and crashing through the roof of the church nearly falling in her lap, scaring the crap out of her in the process. Yeah, nice entrance and introduction.

And yet, she had been smiling despite not knowing who he was.

Nothing could make Zack forget that smile, nothing shined brighter. Plain as that.

He heard the train then, and it came to a halt on its tracks. People had already begun to leave the compartments before the train came to a full stop at the platform.

Zack stayed clear of the crowds that came, and he was hoping he had not missed her, but then he caught glimpse of Aerith in the doorway of the passenger compartment.

The flower girl nervously took the two steps it took to get back on solid ground, and she instantly put her hands to her arms, like she was trying to warm herself up on a cold day. While the air around her is cool, it wasn't because of that. 'The fact that I am above the plate, scares me,' she said, slightly trembling.

Never being above the plate before, Aerith Gainsborough was in uncharted territory as far as she was concerned. Zack had known about her uneasiness, but she had insisted that she'd come to him for their first real date above the plate. She was slightly wishing she hadn't said that now.

Fortunately, Aerith was able to catch sight of Zack through the mass of humanity before her on the platform. She went quickly to him, and he was smiling, as if she had just conquered the world, when she had just conquered her fear. If ever slightly, today it would be worth it, she thought.

"I hope you're ready to have a good time," Zack said, offering his hand to the girl.

She took his hand quickly, "I'm sure we will." She smiled lightly as Zack led her off the platform.

The trip to Sector 8's district, as well as Loveless Avenue, was not too quick, as Zack felt obligated to show Aerith most if not all the stores and theatres that could be seen. He did it with more zeal and enthusiasm than he had before, doing it for the sake of Aerith. The poor girl often looked as if she was about to lose to a gravitational pull. The knowledge of her fear ran fresh in his mind, and he didn't want her to feel more scared than he suspected she was.

Zack hadn't seen too many people wandering out in the street at the time, which was bizarre because of the early evening hours and the fact that it was a weekend, so he and Aerith walked virtually all by themselves down Loveless Avenue.

He kept an eye out for Dakk and his date as well, but they were gone too. Strange. "I was sure they'd be here," he said aloud. Aerith heard him, "Who?"

Zack turned to face her, "A friend of mine from SOLDIER. He must have been called back for an assignment," he said, walking a few steps ahead of Aerith. He expected the girl to follow him, but she went actually went ahead of him, towards a small fountain in the middle of a square.

The girl stood close to the fountain, bent over, looking at her reflection in the water. Never would you find anything as elegant as this in the slums, so the fountain's beauty stood out for her. It was all by itself in the empty square, and she suddenly realized how similar the fountain was to her: a lone beauty in a world, all alone. She was a Cetra, the last of her kind, and she had been all alone since her mother died.

Seeing the image of a teenage girl in the water, one who had never seen the world above the plate, and not even seen the sky for so long, Aerith had to keep her emotions down. She didn't want to make Zack worry about her on such a happy occasion.

"Going to make a wish?" The SOLDIER said, coming up and standing next to Aerith at the fountain.

"Hm?"

Zack gave her a puzzled look, and then pulled a single gold coin from his pocket. "They say this fountain can grant wishes if you toss a coin into it."

Aerith looked at him, then the coin, "Is it true?"

He just smiled, "Let's find out."

He flipped the coin; it went high into the air before landing in the water with a small impact. "Now, you make a wish."

Not exactly knowing if she should say it aloud, Aerith put her hands together in a prayer-like gesture, and said her wish to herself.

When Zack saw her eyes close, he figured she was deeply thinking about the wish. He didn't want to disturb her, even when he felt a quick breeze come by, it was really cool. And then he felt one, then two, and finally, it started raining.

"Ah man!" The SOLDIER said as he was suddenly bombarded with rain drops.

Aerith snapped out of her trance immediately after hearing Zack's surprise reaction, and she nearly cried out as her dress became soaked almost instantly. The two ran together to a small restaurant that had an outdoor rest area with a canopy over it and decided to wait out the storm.

'That was...rather cruel,' Zack thought as he warmed his arms. The restaurant was closed for the night, so there was no possibility of them heading inside to warm up. Zack was now pissed at himself for not heeding the weather like he originally had in mind. Besides, it rarely rained in Midgar as it was.

The downpour seemed to bother Aerith less, but she was warming herself too. Wearing only that thin dress in the rain must have been really distressing, as Zack kept his eyes on her face to not look at the rest of her. 'Let her keep that rightful dignity of hers. She don't need my eyes gawking at her for being...wet.'

Deciding to start a conversation, Zack, without looking at Aerith, said, "So, what did you wish for?"

Aerith stood beside him, "I can't tell, if I do, it won't come true."

'Should have known,' Zack thought.

"Want a clue?"

Zack turned to her, keeping his gaze on her face, and how could he not look at her face. Despite the fact that her auburn hair was damp and her face wet from the rain, she was still beautiful. "I'd like to know."

She smirked, "Too bad."

The SOLDIER's mouth dropped, "You tease."

Aerith looked out at the fountain again as the rain started to dissipate, seeing the moonlight sneaking from behind the clouds, "Besides…you have a list already."

Zack looked at her for a split second before he got it. "Oh yeah, the list of wishes." Zack had been given a slip of paper from Aerith that was literally a post-it, and he had yet to look at it.

"I don't know if I could fulfill all the wishes you have, Aerith."

The flower girl took a few steps out into the square, hands behind her back and walking casually toward the fountain. As she was hearing the rain beginning to go away, the sound of the drops hitting the stone road getting quieter, Aerith spoke, "You're fulfilling one right now, Zack."

The SOLDIER looked at his friend perplexed. 'How can I be doing that? I'm just out on a date-' That's when he figured something out. Zack knew Aerith a little, not enough to truly know her, but he did remember her saying something about being alone. Maybe one of those wishes was for her not to be lonely anymore?

He knew one way to find out. "Aerith?"

The girl looked to him, smiling, "Yes?"

"I'm not too sure if I can grant all the wishes you ask of me. As long as I fulfill one, right?"

Aerith slowly turned her gaze back toward the fountain slowly, thinking deeply. "Something tells me that you already know the answer."

"Yeah-wait, I do?"

Aerith started to laugh lightly, putting her hands on her stomach, "I thought you would, guess I over estimated you."

Uh oh. The words slipped out of his mouth like a bar of soap from his hand, and Zack lightly blushed as a result. To make matters worse, Aerith looked at him and noticed right away how red he was.

"I...uh..." How was he gonna get out of this one?

"It's only fair that I tell you I think about you all the time as well," Aerith said, looking into his eyes.

It didn't surprise him, she was his girlfriend, "Isn't that normal in a relationship though?"

"Maybe, but when it comes to our future, I think highly of it," Aerith replied.

"Future? Ahh..." Zack had not really thought about that. Aerith was his girlfriend, but the thought of them sharing a future together was a splendid one. 'Spending time like this makes me happy, just like it makes her...but...' Zack was now thinking of a real future. Dating would soon turn to marriage...marriage to children, then... 'Wait a second! How in the hell am I gonna do all that?'

He shook his head, and Aerith put her right hand on his chest. He looked at her hand, then back at her eyes, shining brightly green in the darkened square.

"I want a future, where we can remain happy, together," she said, calmly.

Zack slowly put his right hand over hers, "I do too, but, life isn't a smooth course to follow. Things happen that none of us can foresee, Aerith."

The girl's gaze went down, but her chin was lightly lifted by Zack's free hand, she was again looking into his eyes, "But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy what we have at the moment, right?"

The smile he gave her made Aerith smile in return, and as if the gods themselves liked that, the clouds had parted above the two, and the moon reveled in the lack of cover, its rays of light blue shinning down on them. Zack took a deep breath, glad the threat of rain was over for now. "That won't last long," he said aloud, seeing another wall of gray clouds coming closer by the second.

But while it does," Aerith put her hands around Zack's neck, clasping them behind his neck, not removing her gaze from his, and her smile seemed more devious now, like she had him in a trap.

"I got you now," she said with a light laugh.

Zack's smile grew, his hands on her hips, "No, I got you."

A familiar ring caught them both off guard. The cell phone Zack had was going off, and soon enough the clouds began to cover the moon once again, like a curtain on a romance play.

The SOLDIER reached for his phone with his right hand, his left remaining on Aerith's hip as he answered, "Yeah?" His smile faded as he heard the instantly recognizable voice.

"Zack. It's time to go. Hurry to HQ. Now."

Sephiroth hung up before Zack could reply, and Zack hung up.

Aerith sensed his depression, "Got to go?"

"Yeah, sadly," He let her go, rather reluctantly, and she let go of him.

"Will you be back soon?"

He shrugged, "I'll be leaving for some town near Costa del Sol named...Nibelheim I think it was called."

"On another continent?" She sounded even more down than ever now, "I'll send letters."

"Oh I won't be gone THAT long, before the weekend's out, you'll see."

His reassurance was cute, and Aerith nodded, "You never cease to amaze me, you know that, right?"

Zack gave a small laugh, and heard his phone go off again. Sephiroth. "Ah well, I best better get you home first-"

Aerith shook her head, to his surprise, "It's alright. I'll walk to the station."

He wasn't too sure of it, "You're positive about that?" He didn't' like the idea of Aerith going through Sector 8 by herself. Especially in the foul weather.

Yet, she insisted, "I'll be alright. Go. Be a hero, Zack."

He nodded slowly, "Aerith, I'll be back soon. I promise!" He turned and ran off into the waypoint that led back to the Shin-Ra HQ.

Aerith stayed where she stood, even as she felt it start to rain again, the drizzle turned to a downpour, and yet she did not move. Instead, she put her hands together, in a prayer, and quietly said something that wasn't audible to anyone than herself. The rain engulfed her, she was in the arms of rain, and she felt as if it was whispering to her that it was a promise that would inevitably be broken.


End file.
